Things

You can never have too much of a good thing. But can you ever have too much of a good Things? Naww. This week we brings you – drum roll – a photography special! Well, aside from one incredible collection of a Polish magazine’s spreads that managed to sneak its way in (but you’ll thank us for that). So here goes…

Ristruttura Project B

Project B Gallery sent us this beautiful catalogue as an accompaniment to their upcoming Ristruttura, an exhibition to showcase the fresh-faced young photographers they champion. Starting from the notion that a photograph must first be dark before it can be light (a reference to the developmental process, darkrooms, all that jazz) this smoke-coloured album is punctuated by “blackouts”, each artists separated from the next by glossy sheets of inky paper. A well-executed teaser for what is sure to be a cracking show.
www.projectb.eu":http://www.projectb.eu/

Top Deck James Pearson-Howes and Will Robson-Scott

Spurred into action by a desire to immortalise what’s often seen as the “bad part” of the bus, Top Deck excels with its documentation of instantaneous moments of intrigue, as seen from above. I mean come on, who doesn’t love to sit upstairs? We were happy to see our favorite section chronicled with such aplomb. www.topdeck.bigcartel.com

Der Greif : Issue 5

A triumph from large-format photography and literature magazine Der Grief, whose aim is to cultivate a “mobile forum” for artists and who state that growth is the product of “nailing up the door to routine.” Très poetic. In similarly metacognitive fashion each artist’s work is featured alongside a complementary piece of poetry. An excellent verbal and visual tour, as guided by these German entrepreneurs. www.dergreif-online.de

Peter Ross Wants to Know Which Five People You Would Invite to Dinner Peter Ross

And by “you” he means a milieu of fabulous actors, musicians, writers and artists. A hearty pamphlet featuring well-composed portraits accompanied by insightful admissions (like Alan Cumming wants to wine and dine Jesus). Shameless fun, justified by its studied attention to aesthetics. www.heypeterross.com

Projekt Unit Editions

Veering off course, we know, but too nice not to feature. Unit Editions’ latest output is a retrospective on Projekt, a “Polish journal of visual art and design” weighty with historical clout. This magazine’s actually been an outlet for alternative Polish artwork since 1956, and even had a predecessor, Arkady, published pre-war by a ballsy activist named Wanda Krahelska-Filipowiczowa. Concieved by Edgar Bak and Charlotte West out of sheer enthusiasm for the publication’s archive, this is a brilliant line-up of cover art and layout design compiled from the past thirty years. A total gem. www.uniteditions.com/shop/projekt

I’m not quite sure how it’s already July, but another month has rolled by which means it’s time for a studio round-up of all things bright and beautiful. This month we’ve had everything from a spoof map of the stars set in “the most boring part of Hollywood,” a great little book of illustrations and rhyming one-liners about a stalker, and a couple of attention-grabbing alternatives to business cards and work-update emails. Here’s June!h3. Josh Jones: Hollywood

The area around my desk has all but been taken over by all the great stuff everyone sends us. It’s been really tough picking out the best bits and pieces but the situation was fast becoming something of a health and safety hazard and imminent danger has a way of making everything much clearer. This month there’s everything from a card game to a photography magazine to a loo roll of design criticism (what?). Here’s Things!h3. Henry Thomas Lloyd: Hot Air

The last time I wrote a Things round-up was back in December 2011 so please forgive me if I’m out of practice. Of course I’ve been furiously tearing into the post on a daily basis since my last instalment, but I’ve not been able to wax lyrical about it as regularly as I’d like. I’m going to relish this opportunity. So without further ado here’s my top ten tasty treats from the plentiful pile of post this month. Somebody stop me!
h3. Giulia Garbin: Tipi Di Torino

It’s been a very, very long time since I wrote a Things post, and what fun it is to delve into the box once again and pick out the best bits and bobs from the last month. This list is very publication-heavy and I apologise for that, but that’s kind of the majority of what we get sent anyway, so until people start sending us crates of cheese and wine or frisbees (anyone?) that’s just the way it is. So, without further ado here are the best gems the postman has delivered to the It’s Nice That studio this month. Enjoy!h3. Kyle Pellet – Wonkyvision

So many great books, prints and cards have been flying through the letterbox that we got kind of distracted reading and forgot to post any of it last week, so here’s a slightly belated round-up of quality publishing in various shapes and sizes. Keep ’em comin’!
h3. Annu Kilpeläinen: Prints

We love stuff! We love stuff so much that we actively encourage you to send it to us, and when you do, we tear the packaging from it and send it whirling to the floor while dancing around clutching your stuff with joy. (Not a euphemism.) Contrary to popular belief, January is a pretty good month for creative endeavours, or so our bulging supply of cool new stuff would lead us to believe. Here are ten of the best ones from January!h3. Pica Editions: Super-Food